<div><strong>A Rescue Built from Compassion</strong>
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<div>Tiny Paws Ferret Rescue has been a lifeline for ferrets in need throughout Cincinnati and beyond. What started as a simple act of compassion quickly became something far bigger than we ever imagined. This year alone, we opened our hearts and our home to over 50 ferrets, many of whom came from situations of neglect, abandonment, or desperation. We gave each one a second chance at life, and most were placed in loving forever homes. Every step of the way, every intake, every vet visit, every adoption was funded entirely out of our own pockets. Just two people doing everything they could for animals who had no one else.
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<div><strong>The One Who Started It All</strong>
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<div>It all started with one ferret. Ollie.
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<div>On August 6th of last year, my wife’s birthday, we moved into our first apartment together. It was small, but it allowed ferrets, and that made it feel like home. There was a pet store just down the road that we visited often, and every single time we walked in, there was one lonely ferret staring back at us through the glass. He had been returned three times, labeled as “too much,” and overlooked by everyone. Something about him just stayed with us. One day, we offered everything we had, just two hundred dollars, and for some reason, they said yes. That ferret was Ollie. The moment we brought him home, everything changed. He wasn’t aggressive, he just needed someone to believe in him. He quickly became the heart of our home, the reason we fell in love with rescuing, and the very first ferret I ever got tattooed. He loves his soupies and his now brothers Bubba, Draco, and Felix, and his sisters Rosie, Tubesock, Snickers, Luna, and Stella. He wasn’t just our first rescue. He was the spark that lit everything that came after.
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<div><strong>Sacrifices and Struggles</strong>
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<div>At the time, we had very little. I walked to work every single day because we didn’t have two cars, and I didn’t have my license. We were both working full-time jobs just to stay afloat, and every extra dollar we had went to food, litter, medicine, and vet visits. We skipped meals to afford antibiotics. We stayed up all night syringe feeding sick ferrets, hoping they would pull through. We built makeshift cages out of whatever we could find just to give them space and comfort. We had no donations, no fundraiser, and no family support. But we always made it work because giving up was never an option.
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<div><strong>Growing with Time and Love</strong>
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<div>Over time, our setup got better. Our knowledge grew. We researched endlessly and talked to other ferret owners to learn as much as we could. We upgraded everything piece by piece. All of our ferrets were transitioned onto a raw diet, and we began seeing firsthand how much healthier and happier they were. We invested in multiple Ferret Nation cages and combined them into one large connected space, so they had a clean and safe place to sleep every night. Our living room became theirs, full of tubes, tunnels, toys, hammocks, and baskets of treats. We worked hard to make sure every single ferret had the enrichment and attention they deserved. It wasn’t just a rescue. It was their home, and we made sure it felt like one.
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<div><strong>Judged for Doing Our Best</strong>
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<div>Throughout this journey, we’ve received hate online simply because we aren’t wealthy. We’ve been ridiculed for not having a massive setup from the start or a huge fund behind us. People have called us irresponsible for rescuing without a fancy building or a six-figure bank account. But what those people didn’t see were the thousands of photos we took, the hours spent preparing meals, the deep bonds we built, the way we cried with joy when a rescue made a full recovery, or the heartbreak we felt when we lost one. They didn’t see the difference we made, with nothing but love and determination.
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<div><strong>One Final Trip</strong>
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<div>Everything fell apart when we tried to do something special. A little girl in Tennessee, who like me is autistic, had just lost her senior ferret to old age. Every rescue had turned her away. We wanted her birthday to be unforgettable. We planned to surprise her with two bonded ferrets, hoping to give her the comfort and companionship I know animals can bring to people like us. We didn’t have a reliable vehicle, so we used what little credit we had to finance one through Jeff Wyler. The SUV was listed at seven thousand dollars, but with added fees and interest, the loan became eighteen thousand. We knew it was a risk, but we took it because we believed it was worth it.
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<div><strong>A Breakdown That Broke Us</strong>
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<div>Just a few days later, the car blew up on the side of the highway, with less than two hundred miles on it. We were stranded for hours with two ferrets in the heat, doing everything we could to keep them cool and safe. Before the tow truck could even reach us, someone stripped the vehicle on the side of the road. When the truck finally arrived, all that was left was a shell of a car, nothing under the hood, and we were handed a $1,200 tow bill we couldn’t afford. Thankfully, we had broken down not far from the meetup location. They were able to come meet us where we were and take the ferrets home safely. The little girl still got her ferrets, and her birthday turned out to be amazing. The look on her face made all the stress and exhaustion worth it.
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<div><strong>No One to Turn To</strong>
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<div>We returned to Jeff Wyler for answers. Instead of helping, they mocked us. One of the managers cornered my wife, and when we stood up for ourselves, they banned us from the property. They didn’t care what they had done. Now we’re stuck paying for a vehicle we don’t even have, and the only transportation we’re left with is my old Ford Focus, which is barely hanging on. Without reliable transportation, we’ve had no choice but to shut down Tiny Paws Ferret Rescue permanently.
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<div><strong>What We Gave</strong>
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<div>We gave it everything we had. Every spare dollar. Every sleepless night. Every moment of peace we could have kept for ourselves. We are proud of what we built. We are proud of every ferret we saved. And we are proud of the love we gave, even when no one was watching. Maybe one day we’ll be able to open our doors again. But until then, we’ll hold close every single memory and every little life we were blessed to know.
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<div><strong>Never Forgotten</strong>
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<div>We will never forget Bubba, Draco, Felix, Luna, Marmalade, Ivy, Scout, Tubesock, Snickers, Baby, Casper, Ash, Ember, Socks, Wobbles, Twinkie, Buddy, Tango, Mango — and so many more whose names and stories live forever in our hearts. They were more than rescues. They were family. And they were loved.
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<div><strong>Our Goal and Our Hope</strong>
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<div>Our fundraiser goal is $4,000. That would be enough to install a transmission into a vehicle a kind friend gifted us for free, giving us a reliable car again so we can both get to and from work. It would also allow us to get caught up on rent and bills, and anything beyond that would go directly into our ferret fund so that we can open back up as soon as possible. This time, we hope to find a pet-friendly office space where we can dedicate the entire rescue, giving every ferret a safe, structured, and loving environment to heal and thrive.
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Amy Van Leeuwen

Desiree Cox

Rachel Robison

Michelle Garza

Pavlo Sulimenko

Anonymous

Brian OMalley

Daniel Lahne

charles schultz

Benjamin Mallernee

Joseph DiFabrizio

Melanie St Germain

Natalie Sheetz

Sarah Radovcich

Chris Ellis

Nick Boulet

Help Tiny Paws Ferret Rescue Get Back on the Road

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Help Tiny Paws Ferret Rescue Get Back on the Road

Still $2,453 to go. Help us build momentum.